From Frozen Ponds to Lasting Memories Jim Hunnicutt’s Lifelong Love of Hockey and Home at Heritage Pointe

Jim Hunnicutt was a high school student when he discovered a passion for ice hockey, a love he carried throughout his life. He played for the junior team of the Fort Wayne Komets, eventually competed at the professional level in Texas, and later skated on a frozen pond behind his home at Heritage Pointe of Warren, not hanging up his skates until he was 75. 

Although Hunnicutt, now 83, played football in high school, he often attended Komets games, a professional minor league ice hockey team. While cheering from the stands, he got to know team management and players, who encouraged him to strap on skates and give hockey a try. 

“I’d played high school football, and it just wasn’t quite exciting enough,” he says. “I went to a hockey game, and that looked like the game for me. And I had never skated before or anything.” 

Learning the Game 

With help from a friend, the son of the team’s general manager and coach, Hunnicutt learned to skate. 

“I skated on the Wabash River and places like that to learn,” he recalls. 

He played for the Komets’ junior team in 1962 and 1963, reveling in the sharp cold air of the rink, the scrape of his skates, the thrill of chasing a puck across the ice, and the camaraderie of his teammates. 

“Everybody was close, and I liked that part of it,” he says. “When you learn to skate and start playing hockey, you don’t have to think about how or where you’re skating. You just do it automatically.” 

A Detour Through Service 

Just as his hockey career was gaining momentum, Hunnicutt’s path shifted. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1964, he served 13 months in Korea before being stationed at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. 

Even there, hockey found him. 

“I knew some guys who were starting an expansion team in El Paso, and I picked up and played with them for about ten games,” he says. “It was a professional team.” 

Building a Life and Returning to the Ice 

After leaving the Army, Hunnicutt returned to Huntington where, he says, his girlfriend “decided it was a good time to get married.” He soon married Marie, had two children, and began a career at a machine shop in Roanoke, Indiana. 

Years later, in his 60s, he returned to the ice, playing in an old timers league called the Lumberjacks, which skated before Komets games. 

Finding Home at Heritage Pointe 

Jim and Marie moved to Heritage Pointe of Warren 20 years ago, where he continued skating on a pond behind their independent living villa. 

He says moving to Heritage Pointe, an idea Marie first suggested, was an even better decision than choosing hockey as a teenager. The community provided care and comfort when they needed it most. 

Care, Community, and Support 

Two years ago, Marie fell and broke her arm at the elbow, a severe injury that required two surgeries. She spent much of a year recovering in skilled nursing at Heritage Pointe, where she received extensive care and rehabilitation. 

“The therapy department is wonderful, and my physical therapist still comes once a week,” she says. “I can’t think of any place where we’d be better off.” 

The support extended beyond medical care. 

“Everybody, I mean everybody, helped,” Jim says. “I would not have gotten through that because I’m not very good at taking care of things. All the employees were very good. They took care of anything I needed. If I hadn’t been here, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” 

He adds that simply talking with friends and neighbors brought encouragement during a difficult time. 

A Lasting Sense of Gratitude 

Marie has since returned home, and together they continue to enjoy life at Heritage Pointe. 

“She had a great recovery, and I can’t say enough good about Heritage Pointe,” Jim says. 

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